Weatherproof luminous sign



Sept. 3, 1929. HOMQLKA 1,726,896

WEATHERPROOF LUMINOUS SIGN Filed April 2, 1928 8 v lnvnfon r M M By His ,fllforzze y Patented Sept. 3, 1929.

I f UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcE.

FREDERICK HOMOLKA, 0F HALE BARNES, ENGLAND.

WEATHERIPROOF LUMINOUS SIGN.

Application filed April 2,1928, Serial No. 266,642, and in Great Britain April v5, 1927.

7 Signs of various kinds have been made and proposed in which the subject matter of the sign or indication has been painted with lu- I minous paint which enabled the said matter 7 to be seen in the dark after exposure to daylight. In such signs however where it-has been desired to protect the luminousypaint from the atmospheric influences, rain and the like, a transparent cover has been fitted over the painted portion, thus necessitating a frame around the sign which added to the cost and in some cases prevented it being seen except from the front.

My invention has for object a lummous sign, such as a figure or collection of figures, a letter of the alphabet or a collection of such letters, or any indication desired-a pointing hand as a direction may be cited as an 1nstancein which the luminous paint shall be fully protected from the weather or other exterior influences and which shall from its form have the additional advantage of being visible from all angles, thus making the sign or indication or the like valuable for use in all circumstances.

With these objects in view my invention comprises the moulding of numerals, letters or the like in hollow form, in transparent glass, the interior face of the moulded article being covered with the luminous paint and a backing added to enclose the paint within a closed space of which the moulded numeral or the like itself forms a part.

The invention will be fully described with the aid of the annexed drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the numeral 1, Figure 2 being a side elevation thereof provided with a backing and secured to a wall, door or the like;

Figure 3 is a vertical cross section on line 33 of Figure 1., showing the cross sectional form of the moulded numeral. The section is to an enlarged scale.

Figure 4 is a number made up from the moulded numerals 1 and 8 and secured I to a backing which is subsequently screwed upon a door;

Figures 5 and 6 are respectively an elevation and cross section on line 66 of Figure 5 the latter to an enlarged scale, of a letter of the alphabet made according to this invention;

Figure 7 is a cross section to an enlarged scale of the numeral of Figures 1, 2 and 3 showing a filling Which acts as a weather? proof backing for the luminous paint containing space; and

Figure 8 is a cross section similar to that of Figure 3 but showing a modification of the mouldedform of the numeral.

Referring toFigures 1, 2 and 3, 9 is the numeral 1 mouldedin glass in any manner known in the art of moulding hollow backed glass articles, the numeral itself being concave as to the front portion thereof as clearly seen in Figure 3. The article being moulded, luminous paint is applied to the whole of the inner face at 10, and a flat backing 11see Figure 2of wood, metal, or other convenient material is cemented upon the back of the latter. This backing when the character is to be secured upon a door or the like as at 12, Figure 2, is provided with flat lugs 13 having holes therein by which the completely finished numeral may be screwed or nailed in position where desired. The luminous paint employed is thus entirely enclosed by the backing and by the material of the numeral itself.

Figure 4 shows a method of making up a given number from two moulded characters. The 1 and the 8 being moulded the backings are secured to them as above described and the lugs 13 on the backings serve to allow the characters to be pinned on an oval flat plate of metal or wood 14, which in turn may be screwed upon a door 15, fragmentarily shown in the figure.

In Figures 5 and 6 the capital letter F is shown at 16, and the manufacture of the latter is identical with that already described with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3. The lugs borne by the backing plate 11 are shown at 13.

The backing plate does not necessarily follow the contour of the numeral or letter, but it preferably does so when a plurality of characters are to be assembled, as in Figure 4, to form a complete sign.

Instead of providing a fiat backing I may where a considerable number of the numerals or letters are to be employed to make up a special sign, as for instance a wayside indicator or a shop window sign, employ a backing as shown in Figure 7, which is a section of Figure 1 but to an enlarged scale. In this example the luminous paint 10 is applied to the glass numeral 9 as before, but the space behind the paint is then filled with a suitable cementitious substance 17-such as that employed in the fixing of enamelled letters on glass-the cement backing thus serving the double purpose of protecting-with the glass character itselfthe luminous "paint, and "of providing means whereby the numeral may be fixed in position.

Figure 8 is a cross section showing a modified form of Figure 3, the hollow numera'h'instead of being concave, being flat on its outer face and rounded ofi atthe corners. A numeral or letter itself may however be of any convenient moulded form, bulbous or projecting so long as it acts in co-opera'tion with a backing, to enclose "the luminuous ipaint completely and keep 'it sealed from atmospheric influences.

Numerals, and letters or the alphabet and other positive indications of a definite form maybe constructed according "to the inventransparent glass having a face and rounded sides, a coating of luminous paint covering 'the'inner surfaces of such face andsides, and

a. backing which co-operates with such face and sides to secure-the luminous paint coatingfagainst atmospheric influences the "backi'ng being a flat plate cemented to the edge of the hollow moulded transparent glass numeral. i

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set FREDERICK HGMOLKA. 

